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Wednesday, March 20, 2013

A BYB WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC RECAP

The World
Baseball Classic is over and I have to say that it was incredible!

For those
who don’t follow, 16 teams from 16 different countries compete for the
opportunity to be the best in the world. It is basically the closest thing to
the Olympics that we get in baseball.

Pool 1
consisted of Chinese Taipei, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Cuba and 2009’s
champions, Japan. Japan came right out of the box and showed why they were the
defending champs by becoming the first team to secure their spot in the finals.
Their pitching staff gave them a definite edge during these games. Kingdom of
the Netherlands showed us some strong hitters.

Pool 2 was
made up of Italy, United States, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. This pool
was possibly the most interesting to watch. On paper, USA was the better team, but Puerto Rico proved why, in baseball, you cannot rely solely on stats. Don’t
get me wrong; team USA did well. David Wright broke out, hitting .438 and
earning him the name “Captain America.” But it wasn’t enough when they faced
the underdog team from Puerto Rico.

In the
finals, Puerto Rico faced Japan, and once again proved that you can’t predict
baseball. They faced pitcher Kente Maeda who posted a .60 ERA during the WBC.
You read that correctly, .60! The game seemed like an easy win, in favor of
Japan. But outstanding plays, like Irving Falu’s Roberto Alomar-esque catch at
second base, gave Puerto Rico the edge and the win. For the first time, Japan
would not be world champions.

Dominican
Republic faced Kingdom of the Netherlands. There really isn’t much to say about
the Dominican team that isn’t about their complete dominance. Moises Sierra’s
very Derek Jeter like play to grab the ball in the stands, made me giddy! They
were playing to win.

The
Championship round was amazing! The underdog team from Puerto Rico faced the
undefeated team from Dominican Republic. Both teams knew that early runs scored
could mean a win or loss. In the end, it was Dominican Republic that won. With
players like, Yankees own, Robinson Cano hitting over. 500 the entire series,
was there really any doubt?

As a Hispanic
American with roots in both Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic, I cannot tell
you how happy it made me to see these two teams face off at the championships.
Both teams played the entire series with a lot of heart and determination, and
should be very proud of what they have accomplished. The Hispanic community is
thrilled to have had these two teams represent us.

Big
congratulations to Robinson Cano for winning the WBC MVP and to Tony Pena doing
an amazing job with managing these players and being the first team ever to go
undefeated at the World Baseball Classic.